Discipline is the action from communication. Therefore without an idea about the meaning of it, discipline can become a type of word that contains self-defense. Once we hear the word discipline, the first thing will be a punishment or reward. Those are based on our acts or behavior throughout our environment, either in learning or working. We will be able to become a teacher with tremendous power to make children miserable or joyous (Haim Ginott, 2017) instead of a teacher who wants to work hand-in-hand with our students (Linda Albert, 1996). Then, after doing more reading based on reading assignments and some educational journal sources, we know discipline is action or inaction (Wikipedia, 2021). Education is not only responsible for delivering to understanding and knowing of subject material, but educations are also responsible for helping the meaning and correct behavior towards learning. Therefore, it is essential that education can have something effective in the long-term life lessons (Jane Nelsen, 2017) and teach learners valuable social life skills (Jane Nelsen, 2017).
Furthermore, learners will humbly accept discipline if discipline can be adequately communicated and wisely. Adding more pressure without communicating it properly and wisely makes it likely that educational discipline will be hurting the true purpose of learning and education. Nevertheless, our learners can be more cooperative through action and inaction, like being strict about undesirable behavior and permissive through feeling (Haim Ginott, 2012, Communicating With Children) (Delisio, 2008, Practicing Love and Logic). It would be better to be flexible and creative in our shared real-life application of delivering the model of discipline to our learners.
Also, like the waves that show a limitation, this tells me there is always a challenge in applying this creative discipline that helps educators and learners. For one thing, we should not be bound by that limitation, but what challenges it will be once we ride the wave like a surfer. In my teaching journey since 2006, the first challenge I faced was when I moved to China in 2012 to expand my teaching challenge. The challenge of a changeable schedule is some periodic that you have never seen anywhere. For some unreasonable reason, this happened in most public schools in China. For me to ride the wave like a surfer, my readjustment to concentrate on the number of class times for each week is not changing while the school always tries to schedule our timetable. Also, the challenge in creative discipline can be like the visible light of waves. As mentioned in Positive Discipline by Jane Nelsen, it” invites children to discover how capable they are and use their power constructively” once I know what my students desire and passion about doing. I will do my best to communicate the acceptable connection between their passions and what they are supposed to learn in the subject. Therefore my learners will also enjoy and understand it by helping them feel the connection (Jane Nelsen, 2017) which is also kind and firm (Jane Nelsen, 2017).
On the other hand, once I treat this challenge carefully, they are neither the less only three types of waves, trigonometry sin/cos/tan types of waves. As it has been mentioned and indirectly written about, students will only sometimes remember what the teacher teaches them. However, they will never forget how the teacher treats them (Linda Albert, 1996). Therefore let my students be educated also keeps them from exploring their passions. I, as their teacher, have to identify the reason and share it throughout their passions (Marshall, M., 2017, How to Discipline Without Stress), meaning I can start with my point of view, my student’s point of view, and experience, or the connection course point of view. It is fun to be creative and disciplined by expanding our point of view with better sharing for my students in pursuing their acceptance toward learning.
Finally, my professionalism as an educator keeps on applying this creative discipline in my teaching practices to help my student grow. As Mathematical Physicist, I value the idea with reasoning and experiments. In terms of creative discipline discussion, which I do and try to deliver to my students for them to find the fun through the connection that I build in our journey of learning, as one of the great teachers ever said, if you cannot explain something in the simple term, you do not understand it (Richard Feynman, 1996). The way that I have delivered on reasoning and experiment has led to a growing passion from one of my students from Indonesia, whom I taught in 2007, to become one of the recognizable chefs under the name Prince of Pastry in Indonesia (Ardika Dwitama, 2019), in which he was put in the challenging class at that time he learned in the school. On the other hand, not all educational institutes can accept this creative discipline model towards learning. In Singapore in 2008, for example, while I was teaching, I kept changing the discipline models according to the lesson. Then my principal will come to my classroom each week for a month to monitor me, with the result that is telling me to be consistent in my models of discipline. If I always change my discipline models, my students will need clarification about following the lesson. It is quite a self-reflection I need from each challenge once I get treated. And many times, it may be challenging to allocate so many resources for one student, but the ultimate goal is to help my students learn and helping his/her behavior towards learning. (Hannigans, 2016). In conclusion, even though there is a challenge for me to distribute this method of creative discipline for my students to share and accept the knowledge, as a dedicated professional educator, I should always know that learning is not about memorizing. Teaching is not about ordering. Discipline is not about punishment or rewards, but all of them are the waves that have been created to help apply creative discipline in positive classroom management.
Reference:
01. Baker, K., McCallum, K., McGibbon, M., Stevens, N., & Zirpolo, J. (n.d.). Cooperative discipline model Linda Albert. Retrieved from: https://vrogersmanagementprofile.weebly.com/uploads/1/3/8/3/13836263/linda_albert_summary_3_pages.pdf [Accessed on Feb 10, 2021]
02. Delisio, E.R. (2008). Practicing Love & Logic can mean happier schools. Retrieved from: http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/admin536.shtml [Accessed on Feb 10, 2021]
03. Goodstein, D., & Goodstein, Judith R. (1996). Feynman’s Lost Lecture The Motion of Planets Around the Sun. Retrieved from: http://calteches.library.caltech.edu/563/2/Goodstein.pdf [Accessed on Feb 11, 2021]
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06. Marshall, M. (2017). How to discipline without stress, punishment, or rewards. Retrieved from: https://www.thoughtco.com/discipline-without-stress-punishment-or-rewards-3110686 [Accessed on Feb 8, 2021]
07. Nelsen, J., & Gfroer, K. (2017). Positive discipline tools for teachers: Effective classroom management for social, emotional, and academic success. Retrieved from: https://books.google.co.id/books?id=GgEQDQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=positive+discipline&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=positive%20discipline&f=false [Accessed on Feb 8, 2021]
08. Radio, Janson R. (2019). Prince of Pastry Ardika Dwitama. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=-yd6OvlZ93M&fbclid=IwAR0xuIsi7c25iAFeyJ2F9sZnhpoaEqYeSGw18lDPoOzLPFfTiWqvMcEulXw [Accessed on Feb 10, 2021]
09. Wikipedia (2021). Discipline. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discipline#:~:text=Discipline%20is%20action%20or%20inaction,society%20or%20environment%20it%20belongs. [Accessed on Feb 17, 2021]